Palm Springs City Council Marks Country's First All-LGBT Council

PALM SPRINGS, CA — The country's first entirely LGBT city council will be sworn in Wednesday at Palm Springs City Hall.

The history-making council's newest members -- Lisa Middleton, the first transgender person elected to a non-judicial office in California, and Christy Holstege, an attorney who identifies as bisexual -- will be sworn in at the Wednesday evening meeting of the Palm Springs City Council.

Middleton and Holstege replace longtime members Ginny Foat and Chris Mills, who announced earlier this year that they would not seek re-election.

The two newest council members won decidedly in last month's election, with Middleton receiving 30.9 percent of the vote and Holstege receiving 30.08 percent. The next closest finisher, Henry Hampton, received 13.08 percent of the vote.

Middleton is a former senior vice president of internal affairs for the State Compensation Insurance Fund, former ONE PS chairwoman, Palm Springs planning commissioner, board member for the Desert Horticulture Society of the Coachella Valley, LGBT Community Center of the Desert, Equality California and Neighborhoods USA.

Holstege is an attorney focusing on workers' rights, housing and disabilities, a Palm Springs Human Rights commissioner and a Palm Springs Homelessness Task Force member.

— By City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone